Passengers connect between high speed trains and planes at Dusseldorf.

The Lake Shore Corridor is one of the nation's most economically productive regions. New York and Chicago, two of the country's largest cities and major international gateways, anchor this 960-mile rail corridor where nearly 30 million people live within 25 miles of one of its 19 rail stations. The route needs a major overhaul; including four daily round-trips as well as faster and more reliable service with modern high-performance trains and enhanced stations.

Now, just one train — the Lake Shore Limited — travels the entire corridor. This train serves 171 city pair markets, gathering many low volume markets into large volumes served by a single, highly efficient vehicle.

Public usage of this train has grown more than 33% since 2000 to more than 400,000 passengers per year. Usage has also increased on other trains serving portions of the corridor, demonstrating demand for additional service.

More frequent trains, scheduled to allow for a productive business trip to each major city, are needed to create stronger economic ties.